A member of Syria's new authorities checks a delivered rifle on December 17, 2024, as Syrian soldiers and police officers arrive to register at a centre in Daraa created by Islamist-led rebels to settle their status and surrender their weapons. Islamist-led rebels took Damascus in a lightning offensive on December 8, ousting president Bashar al-Assad and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria. (Photo by Aris MESSINIS / AFP)